Manufacture of boxes.



M. n. KNOWLTON, DBGD.

1 K. & A. D. KNOWLTON, ADMINISTRATOES.

MANUFACTURE OF BOXES.

I APPLICATION FILED APR. 27, 1906. 1,079,772.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Ina/622502; 62X) Emu zfiwwzzon COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO-.WASHINOTDN. n. r

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

M. D. KNOWLTON, D'BCD. 1". x. & A. n. KNOWLTON, ADMINISTRATORS.

MANUFACTURE OF BOXES. APPLIdATION rum) APR. 27, 1906.

1,079,772, Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERIC K. KNOWLTON AND ANNIE D. KNOWLTON, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ADMINISTRATORS OF MARK D. KNOWLTON, DECEASED.

MANUFACTURE OF BOXES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 27, 1996.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913. Serial No. 314,104.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that MARK D. KNowLToN, late a citizen of the United States, and resident of Rochester, Monroe county, State of New York, now deceased, invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Mann facture of Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture of boxes from paper board or like thin flexible material, and has for its object to assure the quick, easy and economical production of round-cornered boxes of this class having any desired size.

The invention more especially consists in certain novel features of construction of a former comprising a blank-corner punch preferably having both cutting and scoring dies to adapt it by the same stroke to remove the square corner of a box-blank and transversely score adjacent projecting end portions of marginal parts of the blank which form a rounded corner of the box when bent toward each other after the box side walls are bent upward. This corner cutting and scoring punch preferably acts about simultaneously with a scoring knife held to the same plunger or head and operating to score the blank along the line of junction of its bottom and side walls.

The invention also includes certain details of construction and combinations of parts of the box-blank scorer and cutter; all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a boxblank scoring and cutting machine embodying features of the invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in horizontal section through the machine frame and with the plunger removed, and with the box side wall scoring knife indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the corner of the female or bed die with which the punch cooperates. Fig. 4: is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view of the corner punch and plunger. Fig. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the punch as seen from the corner carrying the apex-die. Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of said punch. Figs. 7 and 8 respectively, are inner face and end views of one of the two punch cutters. Figs.

punch. Fig. 12 is a bottom plan view of one corner of a box blank as it appears when out and scored by the machine; and Fig. 13 1s a perspective view of one set-up and stayed corner of a box formed from the improved blank.

Referring first more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the machine bed-plate which has an arched frame 2 in which is guided a plunger 3 carrying the box side wall scoring knife 41 and the corner punch 5. The plunger 1s coupled by any suitable toggle or other connections 6 with a shaft 7 journaled in the frame 2 and preferably having a lever v8 by which the shaft may be rocked to vertically reciprocate the plunger. To the bedplate 1- is adjustably held by a screw or otherwise a gage 9 which stops the edge of a box-blank and controls the line of action of the scoring knife 4 to govern the height of the box side walls. Another gage, preferably made as a combined end gage and stripper for the box-blank, comprises a rod 10 having a slotted pendent end 11 which is held to the plate 1 by a screw 12, while the other end of the rod has support in a suitable standard 13 also held to the bedplate. The part 11 is the end gage for the box-blank and holds the latter in proper relation to the punch 5 as it cuts and scores corner portions of the blank in manner hereinafter explained. The gage rod 10 overlies the blank and strips it from all cutting and scoring devices on their up-stroke. The bed-plate 1 also has a vertical opening 14 to two sides of which is fitted'the angular bed orfemale die 15 having two cutting edges 16, 17, which do not meet at the die angle where the die also has two right-angularly disposedcutting edges 18, 19, and a meeting convexed cutting edge 20. These cutting edges 18, 19, 20, outline an opening 21 of the die which merges into the main die or bed-plate opening 14: in which the corner punch 5 has play when acting on the boxblank. i

A description of one corner of the boxblank will facilitate clear understanding of the blank cutting and scoring punch 5 which is shown held to the plunger 3 by a bolt 22. The box-blank first is cut to proper size and with substantially right-angular corners as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 12 of the drawings. The male die and the cutters on the punch 5 have cutting edges cooperating with the cutting edges 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, of the bed die 15. The punch apex-die and the punch cutters remove the entire corner of the blank to form the rounded box-bottom corner portion 23 and the projecting end blank portions 24, 25, which preferably are scored transversely at 26, 27 respectively by scoring plates on the punch at about the same time the score 28 is made in the blank along the line of junctionof the box bottom and side wall by the plunger knife 4, as hereinafter more fully explained.

The punch 5 carrying the male die and box-corner scorers is shown in detail in Figs. 4 to 11 of the drawings. This punch has an angular body 29 receiving the bolt 22 holding the punch to the plunger. The punch corner or apexdie 30 has'an inside notch 31 fitting the angular corner of the punch body 29 to which this die is held by a screw 32. The cutting face 33 of the die has a concaved outer edge 34 conforming to the edge 20 of the bed-die 15, and also has opposite angularly depressed cutting edges 35, 36, the former cooperating with the beddie edges 16, 18, and the latter with its edges 17 19. The inner bevel 37 of the die 30 approximates the back bevels of the adjacent angularly disposed blade-formed cutters 38, 39; said bevel 37 meeting the die face 33 preferably at about a line or points coincident with the adjacent ends of said cutters, as most clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings. The cutter 38 is fastened preferably by countersunk-head screws 40 to the die body and is beveled or undercut at 41 at one end to fit against the inner side portion of the apex-die 30 with the sharp angle at the end of said bevel 41 touching the side of the die next the inner margin of the die cutting face 35. The edge 42 of the cutter 38 acts directly upon the box-blank. The cutter 39 is held by screws 43 to the die body and has one beveled end 44 fitting the oppostie side of the die 30 with its sharp angle touching said die next the inner margin of the die cutting edge 36. The edge 45-of the cutter 39 acts directly upon the box-blank. Both edges 42, 45 of the cutters 38, 39, are preferably inclined to assure easy shearing action. The apex-die 30 and cutters 38, 39, cooperate in cutting out the boxblank corner in one piece to form the above named rounded box-bottom corner 23 and the projecting parts 24, 25, of theblank. The punch apex-die 30 and cutters 38,39 may alone be used to form the rounded bottom box corner 23 and the two protruding portions 24, 25 of the box-blank shown in Fig. 12 of the drawings, but it is economically desirable to transversely score said blank portions 24, 25, at 26, 27, by or during the same stroke of the punch. To accomplish this the punch is fitted with scoring plates 46, 47, held by face screws 48 and adjusting backing screws 49 to and outside of the cutters 38, 39, respectively, each plate having a parallel series of scoring edges 50. The approaching ends of the scoring plates 46, 47 fit into opposite longitudinal grooves or recesses 60, 61, in the sides of the apex-die 30 to assure full scoring of the entire area of the end portions 24, 25 of the box-blank.

The operation is as follows: The boxblanks having ordinary square corners will first be cut to proper size with an area about equaling the combined areas of the bottom and side walls of the finished box. The gage 9 will be set to stop one edge of the blank a distance behind the line of action of the scoring blade 4 equaling the height of the box side walls, and the gage end 11 will be set at proper corresponding relation to the bed-die 15. The box-blanks are fed singly upon the bed-plate 1 beneath the gage stripper rod 10 and against the two gage faces 9, 11, and the lever 8 then is brought down to lower the plunger 3 and cause the cutting and scoring devices to act upon the blank. The punch cutters 38, 39, by cotiperation with the bed-die edges 16, 17 for the most part cut or form the right-angularly disposed extremities of the projecting portions 24, 25, of the blank, while the cutting edges 34, 35, 36, of the apex-die 30, cooperate with the edges 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 of the bed-die to form the inner recess 51 which produces the rounded box-bottom corner 23 of the blank, while at the same time cutting inner remaining portions of the extremities of the projections 24, 25 of the blank. The whole originally square corner of the box-blank, including the area of the inner opening 51 and the larger outer portion bounded by the dotted lines in Fig. 12, thus is cut out truly and cleanly in one piece which falls through the bed-plate opening 14. As the downward stroke of the plunger continues, the plates 46, 47 respectively score the parts 24, 25, of the blank at 26, 27, while the blade 4 scores the blank along the line 28 at the junction of the side wall with the bot-tom of the box. The plunger 3 then is raised by the lever 8, while the rod 10 automatically strips the box-blank from the cutting and scoring mechanism. The blank is turned one quarter around to present each side in succession to the gages 9, 11, and the above described corner cutting and scoring and box side wall scoring operations are thrice repeated, thereby cutting out and scoring all four corners of the box-blank and scoring all four of its side wall junctions. After the blank thus is cut and scored, the box side walls 52, including their scored ends 24, 25,

are bent upward from the box-bottom 53, and said ends 24:, 25, are bent around horizontally easily by hand or otherwise to the rounded box-bottom corners 23, and any suitable paper or fabric stay-strip 54 then is pasted or glued at the outside of the rounded corners of the box as shown in Fig. 13 of the drawings, and the box body then is complete, or it may be covered with any desired paper or other fabric.

Various modifications may be made in this invention within the scope of the appended claims, as for instance, a box-side scoring knife and the corner punchi' may be operated at once or successively .by a hand mallet or otherwise than by a plunger set in an organized machine such as is shown in the drawings; or the box-blank scoring and cutting devices may be operated in any other manner giving practically the same results in forming the improved blank; and the scored box-blank side wall portions 24, 25, may have any length so that their extremities about touch when they are bent around to form the box-corner in the preferred manner shown in the drawings, or to permit said ends to overlap each other more or less beneath the corner stay-strip 54:; and other modifications may be made within the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed as the invention is 1. A die of the character described comprising an angular body, a cutting blade fastened to each exterior side of said body, and a removable apex die punch fitted to the angle of said body between the adjacent side edges of said cutting blades and having angular cutting edges on one end at opposite sides, the adjacent side edges of the cutting blades being shaped to bear against the body of the apex die punch, one part of each angular cutting edge of the apex die punch being continuous with the cutting edge of the blade in juxtaposition thereto, said apex die punch also having a curved cutting edge connecting the outermost ends of the other parts of the two angular cutting edges.

2. A die of the character described comprising an angular body having two flat sides meeting at a corner, an apex die punch having a recessed side to fit said corner and be removably attached to said body, said apex die punch having on one end oppositely disposed right angled cuttingl edges and a curved cutting edge joining t e outermost extremities of said right angled cutting edges, and a removable cutting blade fastened against each flat side of said angular body and having an inclined side in contact with the apex die, the cutting edges of said blades being each continuous with one part of the adj acent right angled cutting edge of the apex die punch.

3. A die of the character described com prising a right angled body, a cutting blade fastenedto each exterior side of said body, a removable apex die punch fitted to the angle of said body between the adjacent side edges of said cutting blades and having angular cutting edges on one end at opposite sides, said adjacent side edges of the cutting blades being inclined or beveled to bear against the body of the apex die punch, one part of each angular cutting edge of the apex die punch being continuous with the cutting blade in juxtaposition thereto, said apex die punch also having a curved cutting edge connecting the outermost ends of the two angular cutting edges, and a removable plate adjustably secured against each cutting blade having scoring ribs on its lower edge to transversely score the ends of that part of the blank forming the rounded box corner.

4. In a cutting machine, the combination of a bed plate, a plunger, an angular body plate attached to said plunger and having two flat sides meeting at a corner, an apex die-punch removably fastened to said corner formed with cutting edges on one end, a removable cutting blade fastened on each fiat side of said angular body plate the cutting edges of said blades being in line with the cutting edges on the apex die-punch, a scoring blade carried by said plunger in line with one of said flat cutting blades, a complementary die supported on the bed plate, and adjustable guides for the blank to be cut.

FREDERIC K. -KNOWLTON, ANNIE D. KNOWLTON, Administrators of the estate of Mark D.

Knowlton, deceased. Witnesses:

JAMES W. ALLIs, A. B. CURTIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

